


Out and About

by barbitone



Series: Voltron Fanfiction [16]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alcohol, Blow Jobs, Crack, Drunk crying, Fix-It, Humor, M/M, Mild Angst, Post S8, Post-Canon, Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-Divorce, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-03 20:41:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17291045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barbitone/pseuds/barbitone
Summary: “Lotor?” Shiro asked, staring.Lotor’s eyes widened. “Uh.”Someone else left the shop and bumped into Lotor’s back and the ice cream fell out of his cone, hitting the sidewalk with a splat. They both looked down at it, Shiro with disbelief and Lotor with profound sadness.“Lotor,” Shiro said, more firmly.“Sorry, I think you have me confused with someone else,” Lotor said and turned, walking away briskly.





	Out and About

**Author's Note:**

> A different kind of fix-it fic @_@ A... shall we say... FUN one ;)
> 
> Thank you to my beta [Lutz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lutz/pseuds/lutz)!
> 
> Please enjoy and comment :)

 

* * *

 

As Shiro stared at the signed divorce papers he wasn’t sure if he was happy or sad. It was a strange mix of both as he moped around in his empty apartment in an old tank top and a dingy pair of sweatpants, ignoring the well-meaning messages blowing up his phone.

He was a little relieved maybe, but most of all he just felt empty. He was alone again at forty five, retired from Voltron and the Atlas and the Garrison. He had a small fortune sitting in the bank- back pay and various awards he’d received for his role in saving all reality- so he didn’t really need to work. He was going to use that money to travel, he and Curtis were going to see the world together. And then-

Shiro sighed. He still wasn’t sure exactly what had happened, how they’d managed to grow apart. They became strangers somehow and then it was over. Shiro’s phone beeped and he picked it up to see a message from Matt-

_Stop moping around in your stupid sweatpants. GO. OUT._

Ugh. He rubbed his eyes under his glasses and scratched at the stubble on his chin. Fine. _Fine-_ he’d go out, but he’d keep the stupid sweatpants on because Matt wasn’t the boss of him.

It was warm outside so he didn’t bother putting anything on over the tank top, just slid his feet into his flip flops and grabbed his wallet before leaving. He wasn’t exactly inconspicuous with his white hair and glowing floating arm, but no one stopped him. He was old news by now, the new Voltron teams were all anyone ever talked about these days.

He wandered aimlessly for a while until he found himself standing in front of an ice cream shop. In movies people always ate ice cream when they were sad, and although Shiro didn’t really think it would help, at least it couldn’t hurt.

Admittedly he wasn’t really paying attention as he walked in, and that was why he bumped into a tall stranger just leaving.

“Sorry,” he muttered, looking up to take the stranger in.

He was wearing stylish boots and tight black jeans, ripped artfully at the knees and thighs. His tank top was black too and read “ _Daddy Issues_ ” across the chest in bright purple cursive script. The stranger had brown skin and purple Altean marks on his cheeks and purple eyes and- and-

Shiro squinted in disbelief. The stranger’s long white hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and he was wearing yellow tinted sunglasses and holding an ice cream cone that was definitely mint chocolate chip and despite everything, it was _definitely_ -

“ _Lotor?_ ” Shiro asked, staring.

Lotor’s eyes widened. “Uh.”

Someone else left the shop and bumped into Lotor’s back and the ice cream fell out of his cone, hitting the sidewalk with a splat. They both looked down at it, Shiro with disbelief and Lotor with profound sadness.

“Lotor,” Shiro said, more firmly.

“Sorry, I think you have me confused with someone else,” Lotor said and turned, walking away briskly. Shiro fought to catch up to him.

“Hey!” he called after him. “Hey! I know it’s you- I _know_ it’s you- would you _just_ -” he sent his right arm forward to grab Lotor’s wrist, yanking him to a stop.

“Excuse me, _sir_ ,” Lotor said. “Unhand me this instant.” 

“ _No_ ,” Shiro said, still not sure if this was some kind of strange hallucination. Matt had sent him some pot brownies last week, had he eaten one and forgotten about it? And why was the thing he couldn’t get over most the stupid shirt Lotor was wearing? “Why does your shirt say ‘daddy issues’?”

“I thought it was funny,” Lotor said. “If you’d met my father you’d understand. But you haven’t, so you don’t, and if you don’t let go of me right now I’m going to call the police.”

“The _police_?” Shiro sputtered. “I’m in my fucking forties, Lotor. I think we both know you could take me if you wanted to. How are you _here_?”

“Obviously I’m not this Lotor person,” Lotor hissed at him, dropping the remains of his ice cream to the ground. “I’m someone completely different- look at me. I’m not even purple.”

“It’s you,” Shiro said. “I know it’s you. Everyone thought you were dead, you died in the rift.”

Lotor rolled his eyes and sighed, blowing the ubiquitous strand of hair that hung down over his face out of his eyes. “If you’re not going to leave this alone we should take this somewhere private.”

“Fine, my apartment is right here,” Shiro said. “Come on.” He didn’t let go of Lotor’s wrist as he led him away.

“Oh good,” Lotor muttered. “By the looks of you I’d assumed you were homeless.”

“For your information, my divorce just came through, alright? I’ve been having a rough time. But we’re not here to talk about me!”

Lotor stayed mercifully silent until Shiro got them back to his apartment and drew to an abrupt stop in front of the door. He’d forgotten his keys inside.

“You forgot your keys inside didn’t you,” Lotor said.

“I-” Shiro blinked slowly. What was happening? Was this real life?

Lotor sighed. “This _is_ your apartment, isn’t it? We’re not about to traumatize a nice family by breaking into someone else’s home?”

“It’s my apartment!”

Lotor pulled a small device out of his pocket and did something with the doorknob until it unlocked with a click. He wrinkled his nose as he walked in, and for the first time in a while Shiro realized how much of a mess his place was.

“Are you building a fort out of pizza boxes?”

“I just got divorced!” Shiro yelled. He winced and rubbed at his temples. Was he going insane? He sent his right arm into the kitchen to grab the bottle of whiskey off the top of the fridge and took a deep swig. “Alright- talk. What the _fuck_ , Lotor?”

“You’re not even going to offer me a drink?”

Shiro sighed and moved the whiskey into his left hand as he sent the right back to rummage through the cabinets for a glass, filling it before handing it over. Lotor took it and wandered away, looking around his living room

“Have you been sleeping on the couch, Shiro?”

“I didn’t want to sleep alone in the bed I used share with my husband, alright? My ex-husband. Would you stop stalling and just tell me what the fuck is going on?”

Lotor moved Shiro’s blanket and pillow out of the way before sitting down on the couch.

“Well,” he started slowly. “I’m alive.”

“I already know that part, get to the how.” Shiro sat on the coffee table in front of him, drinking directly from the bottle.

“Your little friends are morons is how,” Lotor scoffed. “They left me in the rift like that was going to do anything. They left me in my ship- which I built _specifically_ to be able to enter and exit the rift. All I had to do was wait for the quintessence field to recharge Sincline and then I just... _left_.”

“You just _left_ ,” Shiro repeated. “Where the hell have you _been_ all this time?”

Lotor shrugged. “Out and about.”

“ _Out_ and _about?!_ The universe was in chaos for three years because of the power vacuum you left, and then Honerva nearly destroyed all of reality looking for you! She brought back your Sincline, your dead body- she- she-” Shiro broke off and took another drink.

“First of all,” Lotor said testily, “the Paladins left a power vacuum. And with the time slippage I returned two years after that whole reality-ending war business was over and done with. I can’t be sure what happened with the Sincline Honerva brought back because mine is functioning just fine and parked on the dark side of the moon while I’ve been on Earth. The quintessence field has strange properties, maybe it created… a double somehow, like a shadow.

“I considered returning to take my throne but then I figured I’d take a break for a while, a vacation of sorts, and I just sort of- never stopped. Now I hear they have a- a _democracy_ on Daibazaal, so there’s not much point.” Lotor wrinkled his nose, saying ‘democracy’ like it was a particularly nasty word. “I don’t know, I’ve been… enjoying myself. I don’t know if you realize this, but being _Prince Lotor_ fucking sucked.”

“So you went on a vacation,” Shiro said dumbly.

“Yes, Shiro,” Lotor said. “You should try it. That, and showering. Does your apartment not have a shower? Or perhaps windows? You could try opening a few, it reeks of stale grease and depression in here.”

“I _just_ got divorced! Would you give me a fucking break?”

“There’s only so much I can take,” Lotor said disdainfully. “I’d really like it if you could go shower before we continue this conversation.”

“No,” Shiro said. “As soon as I let you out of my sight you’ll probably run off somewhere.”

“Here,” Lotor said, taking off his sunglasses and handing them over. “A hostage for you- my favorite pair of glasses. Now please- I am _begging_ you.”

“Fine,” Shiro muttered.

He tried to rush through showering but he was in a worse state than he’d thought- he had to shampoo twice just to get all the grease out of his hair. He almost thought this had all been a bizarre dream, except when he turned his head he could see Lotor’s sunglasses still there, laying out next to the sink where Shiro had left them.

He hadn’t thought to bring a change of clothes so he stepped out with just a towel wrapped around his hips and came to an abrupt stop. His apartment was spotless, the windows were open and the fan was on. Lotor was sitting on the couch with his bare feet propped up on the coffee table, balancing a plate of brownies- _Matt’s brownies_ \- on his thigh and laughing at something on the TV.

“Oh my god,” Shiro said. “How many of those have you had?”

“I don’t know, like- two? Two and a half?” He looked down at his hand, where he was holding a half eaten brownie. “Three.”

“Oh my god,” Shiro groaned. “I’m going to have to peel you off that couch, aren’t I? Those are pot brownies.”

“I know,” Lotor said, taking another bite. “This is good shit, Shiro. You always were a bit of a wild one, weren’t you? What with going rogue on your team not once but twice for me.”

“Three times, technically,” Shiro said.

“The last one doesn’t count,” Lotor scoffed. He paused, staring at Shiro’s chest. Shiro couldn’t be sure but he thought maybe Lotor was blushing. “I kind of expected you to look like a potato under those disgusting clothes, especially considering how many take out containers you had lying around out here. But you’ve still got it, huh?”

“I-” and now Shiro was blushing too. “I’m going to get a shirt.”

“Feel free not to,” Lotor called after him.

By the time Shiro got back Lotor was on his fourth brownie and Shiro stormed over to take the plate away. “Stop _eating_ them.”

“Relax,” Lotor said, rolling his eyes. “Your human drugs work differently on me, I need a higher dosage to feel the effects. I’ve been on Earth seven years now, I think I know how much weed I can handle. Maybe you should _start_ eating them. It makes this show so much more fun.”

Shiro sat down on the couch. He figured this day couldn’t get any weirder, so what the hell. He took a brownie.

“Are you watching Survivor?” he asked.

“There’s a marathon on, it’s a good season- the one with Boston Robb and Amber. Now _that’s_ a power couple. Zarkon and Haggar could have learned a thing or two from them.”

“I can’t believe this,” Shiro muttered. “You’re alive, you’re getting high on my couch wearing a tank top that says _daddy issues_ , and apparently you like Survivor, the trashiest of trashy TV.”

“Survivor is a fascinating social experiment that looks directly into the human psyche,” Lotor said. “If I’d seen it before I met you all I would have dealt with the Paladins much differently. I could have been Emperor now, if only I’d listened to Jeff.”

“Jeff?” Shiro asked.

“The host, Shiro. It’s like you know nothing about your own culture.”

Shiro was already feeling a little buzzed from the whiskey and then the weed started kicking in and before he knew it he was giggling like an idiot at Survivor and Lotor’s brutal commentary, at least half of which seemed to be pointing out when anyone was on the verge of a wardrobe malfunction.

“Who do you think has the biggest dick?” Lotor asked before launching into a thoughtful monologue that examined all the available evidence and left Shiro clutching at his gut and gasping with laughter.

“Oh my god,” Shiro said after he managed to calm down. Lotor looked at him and waggled his eyebrows and that was enough to set him off again.

“I’m starving,” Shiro said hours later. “Let’s order a pizza.”

“If you eat another pizza you’ll turn into one,” Lotor said. “Do you know how many pizza boxes I had to throw out? Twenty seven, Shiro. We’re not getting pizza. I already ordered Thai while you were in the bathroom. With your credit card, by the way, I’m not very liquid right now.”

“Alright,” Shiro said. He was having a hard time remembering why this was supposed to be weird.

They ate on the couch directly out of the containers, and as Shiro’s buzz faded he started wondering again about what was happening here. He was startled by an obnoxious ringing noise and Lotor pulled a phone out of his pocket.

“Hey, Tim!” he answered with a grin. “Yeah, yeah- you know I’m coming. Wouldn’t miss it. I’m bringing a friend though, so get another- yeah ok. Yeah- alright. I’ll see you soon.”

“Who’s Tim?” Shiro asked, a little disappointed now that Lotor was leaving.

“A buddy of mine, we’re meeting up with some friends to party. I guess you could come like that but I hope you have some real shoes because flip flops are not going to cut it where we’re going.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re coming with me, obviously. How am I supposed to have any fun tonight if I know you’re sitting here alone in the dark crying about your divorce?”

“I don’t sit in the dark and cry,” Shiro lied.

“Sure,” Lotor said. “Put on some boots and a jacket, we’re heading out.”

Shiro did as he was told in a stupor before following Lotor out the door.

“Crying over a pizza is all well and good,” Lotor said, putting on his yellow sunglasses as they left the building even though it was already fully dark outside. “But what you really need is to go out and get your dick wet. If you can’t get laid with these flight school nerds then you truly are hopeless. They’re all sluts for you, for you and that other one- what’s his name. Your little buddy, angry boy.”

“Keith?” Shiro asked with a laugh.

“That’s the one.”

Lotor took them to a motorcycle parked by the ice cream store. There was a parking ticket taped to the seat and he ripped it up without even looking at it, throwing the pieces to the ground.

“Should you even be driving right now?” Shiro asked dubiously as Lotor pulled a pair of goggles out of one of the saddlebags and tossed it to him.

“Please, I’m barely even high anymore. Now are you ready to stop being a baby and go out and have some fun?”

“Alright,” Shiro said and put on the goggles, sitting behind Lotor and wrapping his arms around his waist.

Lotor paused to pull his hair up into a bun and then he was starting the bike and they were off. They speeded through the town towards the garrison, and then past it and into the desert. Before long he could just make out a bonfire in the distance, and as they got closer he started to hear the music and he could make out dozens of people dancing and drinking and generally having a great time.

Lotor stopped the bike a little way out of the circle of firelight.

“Two things,” Lotor said, “they all think my name is Luke, and when we play beer pong you’d better not embarrass me. The war might be over but the Galra way is still victory or death, Shiro. If we lose to these fucks I will strangle you.” He stood from the bike and waved over to the people gathered around the fire.

“Yo, Luke! Late as usual,” one of the guys called over to them.

“Fashionably late,” Lotor said with a laugh. “By the way, this is my buddy Shiro. Shiro, say hello.”

“Hi,” Shiro said with an awkward wave.

A hush fell over the party and he heard a small whimper as someone whispered “oh my _god_.”

“I know, I know,” Lotor said, leading Shiro closer. “Let’s get all the autographs out of the way now, I know at least half you nerds keep a picture of him in your wallet just in case this ever happens.”

“You could have mentioned you knew _Captain Takashi Shirogane_ , Luke,” one of the guys said reproachfully.

“I didn’t want you to cream your pants before we got here, Tim,” Lotor said. “Anyway, we go way back but we only recently reconnected. He needs to get laid tonight, so you guys can duke it out amongst yourselves for the honor or take turns I guess. Maybe he’d be up for a gang bang, but you have to take that up with him.”

“Oh my _god_ ,” Shiro said, his voice coming out strangled. “Have you always been such an asshole?”

“Yeah,” Tim said and everyone laughed and the tension was broken.

Before Shiro knew it there was a cheap beer in his hand and he was chatting with five pilots training for the MFE program while Lotor was across the way, helping set up a beer pong table. It didn’t take long for Lotor to come back and drag him away and they played for a while. Lotor was perfect, obviously, and Shiro managed to carry his own weight. They ran the table until Lotor declared it was time for shots and then things got a little hazy.

Shiro drank and laughed about random nonsense with strangers whose names he forgot as soon as he learned them, and then there were more shots and dancing and Shiro was having an amazing time.

More than a few people tried to get into his pants but he felt too weird about it, they were basically just _kids_ , all fresh faced pilots in training who’d been crushing on him just because of his reputation. Some of them probably had his poster up in their rooms and it was just- it wasn’t right. Lotor glared at him every time he turned someone away like _Shiro_ was the one doing something wrong here.

Slowly the night wound down and Shiro found himself laying out on a blanket staring at the stars, for once perfectly content with his lot in life.

“We’d better head back,” Lotor said, nudging him in the hip with his toe.

“Now I _know_ you shouldn’t be driving,” Shiro said with a sleepy smile.

“I’m fine, I promise. Galra metabolism and all that- I sobered up at least an hour ago. Come on, you won’t like sleeping out here, you’ll wake up with sand in all kinds of places you don’t want sand in.”

“Alright,” Shiro said and nearly fell over when he tried to stand. The world was spinning around him but he still felt so good, and then Lotor wrapped an arm around his waist to steady him and Shiro smiled. “You’re warm,” he muttered.

“You are so drunk,” Lotor said. “It’s amazing you haven’t hurled yet.”

“I’m a hero, I have a gut of steel.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Shiro sighed as he wrapped his arms around Lotor on the bike and tucked his face against his back. He was so warm. The bike rumbled under him and he had to close his eyes to hold back the dizziness that threatened to overwhelm him, and then the wind was pulling on his hair and clothes as they raced back through the desert.

Lotor had to help him up the stairs and through the door, and left Shiro sitting on the couch while he went to get a glass of water. Shiro slumped over, pushing his face into the couch cushions.

“No,” Lotor said as he walked back into the living room. “You’re not sleeping on the couch like some sad sack, I’m taking you to bed.”

“Don’t wanna,” Shiro muttered.

“I’m not asking you, I’m telling you. Up and at ‘em, Captain.”

“No.”

Lotor sighed and manhandled him up to his feet, half leading and half dragging him to the bedroom. Shiro opened his eyes wider as he stared at the bed. He hadn’t slept here in weeks, the divorce being finalized had made it too painful. Curtis was never coming back and Shiro was alone. He didn’t want to be alone. He sniffled pitifully.

“Stop that,” Lotor said, horror creeping into his voice.

Shiro sniffled again, tears rising to his eyes. He was so drunk. This was why he didn’t get drunk.

“I’m drunk.”

“Yes, get on the fucking bed.”

“Don’t wanna,” Shiro said. “I don’t wanna- don’t wanna be alone.” He sobbed, not able to stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks. Why was he always alone? He was a good person, wasn’t he?

“Am I a good person?” he asked and didn’t resist as Lotor sat him down and tugged his boots off.

“I guess,” Lotor said.

“Then why am I alone?”

“You’re not alone,” Lotor said. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Are you?” Shiro asked, suddenly not sure.

Lotor pinched him hard in the thigh and he yelped.

“Ok, you’re here.”

“Yes. Now would you stop crying?”

“No,” Shiro said.

“This was not how I expected my day to go,” Lotor muttered. “I just wanted some fucking ice cream.”

“Me too,” Shiro said. “I didn’t even have any ice cream!” Suddenly that seemed even more sad than not having Curtis and he sobbed harder, crying into his pillow.

“If it helps, neither did I,” Lotor said, sitting down next to him on the bed and awkwardly patting his hair.

“That’s even worse!” Shiro wailed.

“We’ll get ice cream tomorrow, ok?” Lotor said, shifting so he was lying down next to Shiro. He wrapped his arms around him and Shiro sobbed against his chest, his tears soaking into the stupid _daddy issues_ tank top.

“You’ll still be here tomorrow?” Shiro asked after his weeping had settled down into pathetic sniffling.

“Yes, Shiro,” Lotor said. “I’ll be here.”

 

* * *

 

Shiro woke to the worst hangover he’d ever had and the distinct feeling that he was going crazy. Had last night… _happened_? He hadn’t imagined stumbling into Lotor outside an ice cream shop, had he? But it couldn’t have actually happened, it was insane. He’d probably just gotten drunk alone like a sad divorcee and it had all been some fucked up whiskey dream.

Except when he looked up he saw Lotor’s yellow sunglasses on the nightstand and a glass of water with some kind of purple pill next to it, lying on top of a note. The note said-

_Take it, you’ll thank me.  
_ _-L_

Shiro took the pill. He lay in bed for a little while, trying to gather the strength to stand, and within a few minutes the hangover eased. He sat up, surprised as the nausea and pain faded away into nothing.

He walked into the living room to see Lotor wearing his clothes, a too-large tshirt and too-short pair of sweatpants, eating a giant plate of bacon and the fucking brownies, _again_.

“It’s truly sickening how many sweatpants you own,” Lotor said. He was watching some trash show on TV, one where a heavily made-up well-dressed woman yelled at a bunch of guys in suits.

“You’re actually here,” Shiro said.

“Didn’t we cover this last night?” Lotor asked, raising his eyebrows. “Do I have to go tell you to shower again? Is this becoming a thing? Because I am not your governess.”

“No,” Shiro laughed. “No, I’ll just- I’ll go on my own. Uh, thanks.”

He felt oddly happy as he showered and changed into fresh clothes, coming back out to find Lotor looking stoned off his ass.

“What are you watching?” Shiro asked as he stole a piece of bacon off his plate.

“Millionaire Matchmaker,” Lotor said absently.

“You’re _kidding_ ,” Shiro groaned. “That’s even worse than Survivor.”

“Millionaire Matchmaker is a fascinating social experiment that looks directly into the human psyche,” Lotor said. “If I’d seen it before I met you all I would have dealt with the Paladins much differently. I could have been Emperor now, if only I’d listened to Patti.”

“I think you have a problem,” Shiro said.

“You’re the one with the problem, why don’t you have anything other than bacon and pot brownies to eat around here? You don’t even have any ketchup, Shiro. What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I’m sad,” Shiro said with a sigh. “I’m sad and alone and Curtis used to cook.”

“The ex husband, I assume?”

“Yeah.”

“He sounds like an asshole.”

“No, he’s-” Shiro sighed again. “I’m pretty sure I’m the asshole. I don’t know. Maybe we’re both assholes.”

“Alright, I can’t take this anymore,” Lotor said. He licked his fingers and set the plate of bacon down on the coffee table before shoving Shiro down to the couch.

“What are you doing?” Shiro squeaked out, staring up at Lotor towering over him.

“Remember what I said about what you needed?”

“What?” Shiro asked.

“You missed your chance at the party but lucky for you I’m in a good mood right now, so I’ll give it to you myself.”

“ _What?_ ”

“Just do yourself a favor and shut up,” Lotor said before leaning down to kiss him.

Shiro made a muffled sound against his lips, but Lotor took his face in both hands and deepened the kiss. He tasted like bacon and brownies and it was weird and kind of gross but Shiro couldn’t help melting into it anyway.

Lotor slid his hands under Shiro’s shirt, pushing it up his chest, and then he was pressing kisses down his body and shoving Shiro’s sweatpants down.

“Oh my god,” Shiro whispered, “you’re actually going to-“

And then he was groaning and throwing his head back as Lotor slid his lips over his cock.

“Oh fuck,” he gasped, sinking his hand into Lotor’s hair. It was so good- he was ridiculously good at this, his mouth hot and wet and most of all- _enthusiastic_. He made small sounds at the back of his throat like he loved this, like there was nowhere he’d rather be than here with his lips wrapped around Shiro’s cock.

God, he’d missed this so badly. Things hadn’t exactly been good with Curtis for years, they’d stopped having sex completely near the end but things like this- sloppy blow jobs on the couch in the middle of the day- hadn’t been happening for even longer than that.

Lotor pulled back and slapped him in the face, just hard enough to sting.

Shiro gasped more with shock than pain. “Fuck! What the hell was that?”

Lotor grinned, revealing both rows of teeth, and Shiro shivered as he stared at his fangs. “Don’t think about him when you’re with me.”

“I- how did you-“

“You got all quiet and still on me, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out. Now do you want me to keep going or do you want to go back to building your pizza box fort like a loser?”

“I- I want you to keep going,” Shiro said, blushing.

“I don’t know, Shiro,” Lotor said slowly. “Now my feelings are hurt. Here I am, trying to do something nice for you, trying to make you feel good, and you’re thinking about other boys? You’re going to have to ask again, nicer this time.”

Shiro licked his lips awkwardly but Lotor was still grinning at him, waiting patiently. His dick was still out but somehow that didn’t make him half as self conscious as this did.

“Please keep going,” Shiro said quietly. Lotor raised an eyebrow expectantly and Shiro knew that wasn’t good enough. “Please,” he tried again. “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again. You have my full attention. Lotor, please- _please_ keep going.”

“Alright, Shiro,” Lotor said with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “But if I catch you doing it again, I’m going to stop for good and make you jerk yourself off while I watch. Do you understand?”

Shiro flushed harder as he forced himself to nod.

Lotor bent down to take Shiro’s cock back in his mouth, raising his hand to stroke the shaft. Shiro couldn’t help staring, awed at how deeply Lotor was taking him in, and then his eyes fluttered closed and all he could think about was the tight heat and the slick sounds filling the room, the way Lotor moaned around him.

“Lotor- Lotor I’m close,” Shiro managed, breathing hard as he felt himself get to the edge. Lotor sped up and that was it, Shiro came into his mouth and he swallowed every drop before pulling off and licking his lips. “Holy shit,” Shiro managed.

Lotor reached out to pat him on the face, gently now. “That was better, Shiro.”

Shiro stared with bewilderment as Lotor stretched and stood up. “Don’t you want me to return the favor?” he asked.

“Later,” Lotor said. “I’m too hungry to get hard right now, it’s like the Galra version of whiskey dick. We’re going to brunch- you’re paying.”

“Because you’re not very liquid right now,” Shiro said.

“That’s right. When we get back I’m going to fuck you nice and slow- on the bed, Shiro. Not the couch. So get mentally prepared. I’m going to shower now and then we’re going, and oh- take care of whatever’s blowing up your phone.” He picked up Shiro’s phone from the coffee table and tossed it to him. “It’s been going off all morning and driving me crazy.”

“Yeah, ok,” Shiro said, his mind still stuck on _I’m going to fuck you nice and slow_. And then Lotor was gone and he finally got himself together enough to put his dick away.

He took a deep breath before looking down at his phone. There were some texts from Matt- 

_Dude._

_DUDE._

_Proud of you._

_Who’s the cute ponytail guy?_

And then there was a screenshot of an instagram post, a photo from the party last night. It was Shiro and Lotor standing awfully close together in front of the bonfire, maybe- _dancing_? Shiro’s face was clearly visible, he had his head thrown back in a laugh. Lotor had his back to the camera but the side of his face was visible, just enough that it was clear he was smiling. He had his arms around Shiro’s shoulders and Shiro had his hands on his ass and wow did he not remember this moment.

The other notifications were from his social media accounts, hundreds of notes. The people at the party- they’d all taken pictures and tagged him in them. There were so many- Shiro drinking a beer as he stood talking with a group of young men and women, Shiro playing beer pong, Shiro laughing as slapped someone on the back, and then-

Shiro’s blood ran cold. There was a picture of him sitting on a log next to Lotor. Shiro looked smitten and Lotor didn’t seem to be that far off, and his face was completely visible, totally recognizable. Based on the notes hundreds of people had seen these photos- Shiro’s friends, people who _knew Lotor_. All the Paladins had liked the one where the two of them were sitting together, Hunk had even left a comment-

_Awww, nice to see you looking so happy <3 _

What the fuck? Did they seriously not recognize Lotor in the photo? Where they just playing it cool online even as they were launching a man hunt?

“What’s wrong?” Lotor asked as he walked out of the bathroom, wearing the clothes from last night again.

“Lotor,” Shiro said slowly. “I don’t want to freak you out but- there’s photos of us, from the party. There’s at least one where your whole face is showing, and- and a lot of people have seen it. Hundreds, maybe.”

“Oh,” Lotor said, sitting down next to him and taking the phone out of his hands to scroll through it. “It’s fine, Shiro. Don’t worry about it.”

“What? But- but your cover’s blown now, aren’t you worried?”

Lotor smiled wryly. “No,” he said quietly. “You’re not the first person from- from _before_ that I’ve run into. You’re just the first to recognize me. I used to try and disguise myself more, you know, more than just,” he waved at his face vaguely. “I used to hide my hair and try to hunch down so I wasn’t so tall, wear a scarf to cover my face. And then I saw Kolivan on Daibazaal and he didn’t even- he looked right at me but he didn’t _see_ me. I’d thought- well, that was lucky, right? And he didn’t really know me so well after all. And then-”

He sighed. “Then I ran into Axca waiting in line for coffee at a spaceport. I didn’t have my face covered at all. We were standing right next to each other and she still- I asked her the time, just to see, just to check if she’d maybe recognize my voice. I wanted her to, so badly. But she just- she told me the time and looked away and that was it.

“Everyone has already decided they know what happened to me. It’ll take more than a grainy photo on instagram to change their minds.”

“Oh,” Shiro said.

“Enough moping around,” Lotor said with a weak smile. “Brunch, fucking, reality TV, in that order.”

“Alright,” Shiro said, putting his hand on Lotor’s knee carefully.

“But you have to put on some real pants,” Lotor said. “I’m not being seen in public with you looking like that.”

“You’re wearing a shirt that says _daddy issues_ and _I’m_ the embarrassing one?” Shiro grumbled but went to change all the same.

They went to one of Shiro’s favorite places and sat on the patio, drinking mimosas as they watched people going by. Lotor ate a truly impressive stack of blueberry pancakes smothered in syrup and Shiro had something reasonably not greasy for once.

Lotor was true to his word, once they got back to the apartment he fucked Shiro nice and slow on the bed, making him beg for it before he let him come. Shiro was true to his word- the whole time he didn’t think about Curtis or anything else.

“I’ve been thinking,” Lotor said after, stroking Shiro’s arm thoughtfully. “I’m meeting up with some friends in Brazil next week. You should come.”

“How can you afford to go to Brazil? You can’t even afford brunch.”

“I said I wasn’t liquid, not that I was poor. Try to keep up, Shiro. Come on- Brazil. Have you been? Rio de Janeiro is wild, and that big statue of the Chris guy is pretty neat. It’ll be fun- more fun than moping around here.”

“I’m _old_ Lotor, I can’t keep up with you and your crazy friends.”

“Please, _you’re_ old? Age is a mindset, Shiro. Come on- _Brazil_. Afterwards we’re going to Mumbai, and then I was thinking maybe the Swiss Alps. All this time I’ve been here and I haven’t tried skiing- but it sounds fun. I think I’d be good at it.”

“You would be,” Shiro smiled.

“Your planet is filled with some of the most amazing and beautiful things I’ve ever seen, you humans have managed to turn every corner of it into some kind of playground. Come on- come with me.”

He’d always wanted to see the world, and Lotor was looking down at him with such expectant hope in his eyes- and Shiro did have that bank account full of money just sitting there. He could always leave if he didn’t like it. But he knew already- he was going to love it.

“Alright,” he said with a smile. “Let’s go to Brazil.”

 

**~~~Epilogue~~~**

 

“Maybe this was a bad idea,” Shiro said nervously as he tried to steel himself to knock on Keith’s door.

“You’re not chickening out on me now,” Lotor said. He was wearing his ubiquitous yellow-tinted sunglasses, which Shiro now knew was to hide his yellow sclera- the only thing that gave away that he might not be an ordinary Altean other than his height and fangs. He’d pulled his hair back into a bun and he was holding himself differently somehow, his posture more relaxed than usual. With all that and the painfully tight tshirt that said “Slut” in bold graphic letters, if Shiro didn’t know better he never would have thought this was the same Prince Lotor they’d first met twenty years ago.

“We had a deal, Shiro,” Lotor said. “If I’m right and they don’t recognize me, we’re getting a cat. If you’re right and they do, you can have a stupid dog.”

“I don’t want a cat,” Shiro muttered.

“Well I don’t want a dog,” Lotor said. “They’re smelly and hairy and they drool all over everything. I honestly don’t know how else to handle this.”

“Alright, fine. But if this goes bad it’s all your fault.”

“Would you just _knock_ already? It’s fucking freezing out here.”

Shiro knocked.

Keith opened the door almost immediately, smiling widely. “Shiro!” he said as he motioned them inside and closed the door behind them before pulling him into a hug.

“Hey Keith,” Shiro said.

Keith pulled away and stared up at Lotor, who smiled widely- but not so widely as to reveal his fangs. Keith frowned a little and Shiro wasn’t sure what he wanted more, for this evening to go smoothly with no one the wiser or for Keith to call Lotor out. He wanted a dog, but he also wanted to have a nice peaceful dinner. He wanted to bring Lotor around to his friends but he also wanted them to _know_ him instead of thinking he was some random Altean named Luke.

“So you’re the mysterious Luke,” Keith said, holding out his hand.

Lotor took it, giving him a firm shake. “Nice to meet you,” he said, shifting his tone somehow so his voice wasn’t so rich and his aristocratic accent was completely gone.

Shiro frowned a little. He was trying extra hard not to give himself away, the bastard. Why was Keith so fucking thick? Was he blind?

“Well, everyone else is already here, Hunk is almost ready to serve the appetizers. Let’s head into the living room.”

Shiro waved to everyone gathered in the room- all the original Paladins plus Krolia, Kolivan, and Matt.

“Hey guys,” Shiro said. “Everyone- this is my boyfriend Luke.”

Lotor waved at all the people assembled before him. Shiro held his breath, his heart thundering in his chest as they all stared. Pidge frowned a little, like maybe she was on the verge of figuring it out-

“Shiro talks a lot about all of you,” Lotor said. “It’s a pleasure to get a chance to meet you all.”

And just like that the moment was broken and any suspicion anyone might have had slipped away. Lotor made his rounds, introducing himself to everyone, even stopping to pat Kosmo on the head awkwardly. And then Hunk was bringing in the food and they were all sitting down to eat and drink. Shiro couldn’t believe it.

Lotor leaned back in his chair, draping his arm over Shiro’s shoulders, and when Shiro looked over at him he winked and pursed his lips like he was blowing a kiss.

“So tell us all about your adventures,” Krolia said, smiling over at them.

“There’s not too much to tell,” Shiro said. “I mean- I think you’ve all seen the instagram posts.”

“Now come on, babe,” Lotor said with a grin. “There’s plenty that wasn’t in the photos. Remember when we went skiing and you said you could do that black diamond? And then you fell on your ass and lost your skiis and had to walk the rest of the way down the mountain? That was cute.”

“It was not cute,” Shiro said, blushing.

“Oh, and we got _wasted_ in Orlando and snuck into Disney World. Unfortunately we are now forever banned from the Magic Kingdom.”

“Please stop,” Shiro groaned as everyone laughed.

To his great relief Lotor launched into a story that was mostly PG-13 rated and did not involve anything embarrassing that Shiro may or may not have done. Nearly half way through he was cut off by a frantic scratching at the door.

“Jesus,” Keith said as he stood. “Sorry, that’s just Kova wanting in. He’s not usually so loud though.”

“Kova?” Lotor asked in a small voice.

“Yeah, Lotor’s immortal cat,” Hunk said. “We found him in the ruins of Oriande and we couldn’t just leave him there. Keith already had a pet, so he took him in. He’s kind of an asshole, so don’t get too close. He usually avoids people anyway.”

Keith opened the door and the cat _screamed_ as he ran into the house. Lotor stood and Kova lunged at him, climbing him like a tree before settling over his shoulders and purring like a chainsaw, licking restlessly at his face.

“Hey, Kova,” Lotor whispered, raising a shaking hand to stroke the cat’s head slowly.

“I’m so sorry about that,” Keith said in alarm. “He’s not usually like that- he didn’t scratch you did he?”

“No, no he didn’t. Don’t worry, it’s- it’s fine.” His voice cracked on the last word and Shiro stood too, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey-” he said quietly, feeling like an idiot. How had he forgotten about Lotor’s _cat_?

“I just- I just need a minute,” Lotor said and left, taking Kova with him.

“Is he ok?” Lance asked dubiously.

“Yeah, he’s fine,” Shiro said as he sat back down. “He just- he really likes cats.”

“I’ve never seen Kova act like that before,” Pidge said, her eyebrows drawing down in something like suspicion. “It’s almost like- it’s almost like he knows Luke. But that’s not… possible. Is it?”

“Shiro, where exactly is Luke from?” Kolivan asked slowly. “Is he from Lotor’s Colony?”

“Uh,” Shiro said, trying not to fidget. “I’m not sure. He doesn’t like to talk about about his past so much.”

“You’ve been dating for two years, Shiro. You’ve been traveling the world together,” Krolia said. “You don’t know where he’s _from_? What do you know about him, exactly?”

“ _Mom_ ,” Keith said, rolling his eyes. “Please don’t interrogate my friends during dinner.”

“I’m not _interrogating_ him,” Krolia said as she looked down at her plate sheepishly. “I’m just- I’m asking.”

There was another knock on the door, but whoever it was didn’t wait to be let in.

“Sorry we’re late!” Coran said as he walked in with Romelle.

“We brought pie,” she said with a smile.

“It’s great to see everyone and-” Coran’s eyes widened in shock. “ _Lotor?_ ”

Romelle dropped the pie with a gasp and everyone turned to see Lotor standing in the doorway, holding a still-purring Kova to his chest.

“I don’t think so,” Lotor said slowly. “I’m Luke? Shiro’s boyfriend?”

But it was too late- the jig was up.

Everyone was too shocked to react, and despite the tense atmosphere Shiro barked out a surprised laugh. Of course- of course out of everyone it would be _Coran_ that finally figured it out.

“ _Shiro?_ ” Keith demanded. “Did you- did you know about this?”

Shiro only laughed harder while everyone stared. “Sorry,” he said, calming down at last. “Sorry, but- you guys. You’ve been commenting on our instagram photos for _two years_ , and you didn’t notice? It’s obvious, isn’t it? Look at him!”

“He’s wearing a shirt that says _slut_ on it!” Matt hissed. “It’s not obvious!”

“I guess you can have a stupid dog now, Shiro,” Lotor said. He wasn’t trying to disguise his voice anymore and he straightened into a more familiar posture and suddenly that was it- it was undeniably him even with the shirt and the glasses and the dark brown skin. “It had better get along with Kova though, because we’re taking him with us, obviously. Now, are we going to eat whatever’s salvageable of that pie or are you all going to try to kill me again?”

“No one’s going to try to kill you,” Shiro said firmly, glaring at Kolivan until he sheepishly let go of his Luxite Blade. “But maybe we should go.”

Romelle bent down and picked up the pie slowly. “It’s not so bad,” she said. “It- it’s mostly intact. Let’s… eat pie.”

And then Hunk stood and threw a nervous glance Lotor’s way before turning towards the kitchen. “I’ll get the dessert plates.”

“Guys, this is weird right?” Lance said. “This is really weird. I’m not the only one who thinks so. Right?”

“Yeah, buddy,” Matt said. “This is super weird.”

“I don’t see how your lack of observational skills is my fault,” Lotor said as he returned to his seat at the table next to Shiro. “It’s like the only thing anyone knows about me is I’m purple and I don’t wear silly shirts. Well- newsflash. I’m a complicated multifaceted individual, and you guys are kind of jerks. _Shiro_ recognized me right away.”

“Yeah well, he always did have kind of a crush on you,” Keith said.

“I didn’t,” Shiro protested.

“You did,” Lotor said and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “That’s alright, no need to be shy.”

“So you guys are _actually_ together then,” Lance said. “Like- _together_ together.”

“Yes, Lance,” Lotor said, rolling his eyes. “For over two years now. Try and keep up.”

“Alright,” Keith said once Hunk had come back and distributed messy slices of pie to everyone around the table. “Alright- Lotor. Start at the beginning. What the _fuck_.”

“Well,” Lotor said, taking a bite. “Let’s start with- I’m alive. No thanks to you assholes. Feel free to apologize whenever, by the way. So anyway- surprise.”

Shiro took his hand as he told the rest of it, and then he offered to finish telling the story from earlier, and then the tension in the room eased, smoothed over somehow.

“We’re going to Cuba next month,” Lotor said with a smile, and even Lance seemed to be warming up to him as he talked excitedly about what they should go see. Shiro had a feeling everything was going to be just fine.

 

 

_fin._

**Author's Note:**

> Lotor's taste for dumb shirts was inspired by the following amazing fanarts!
> 
> \- [Daddy Issues](https://sinfulhime.tumblr.com/post/170996424625/decided-to-finish-this-dumb-thing-i-cant-wait-for) and the [Follow Up](https://sinfulhime.tumblr.com/post/171032294260/cute-top)  
> \- [Slut](https://iloe.tumblr.com/post/170631093842/lotor-17-andor-19)
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [barbitone](http://barbitone.tumblr.com/)


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